Oct 31 2011
Stress, High Cortisol and Menopause
Stress can kill you. We’ve all heard this saying, but it is literally true. High stress during menopause can cause high cortisol levels in the body and therefore cause one of the worst symptoms of menopause and that is hot flashes. Even using bioidentical hormone therapy will not help as much as it should. High cortisol levels will also cause weight gain, especially around the waist line and nobody wants to have this. Even if you are taking bio-identical hormones, high levels of stress with the resulting high levels of cortisol from stress will continue to cause some of the worst symptoms of menopause: hot flashes, thyroid issues, sleep problems, inflammation and weight gain.
What is cortisol? Cortisol is a hormone that is triggered by increase stress. High cortisol is linked to insulin resistance and cortisol not only causes insulin resistance but insulin resistance causes high cortisol. With insulin resistance, you gain weight because carbohydrates are converted into fat which maybe the reason you feel tired after eating a meal.
If you find that you are having sleep problems, the reason is high cortisol levels. If you are waking up between 2:00 to 4:00 a.m. And then have difficulty falling back to sleep, it is because cortisol levels peak at that time. Natural bioidentical hormone therapy can help alleviate these symptoms, but not completely because the stress in your life still exists. Your doctor may also find during hormone testing that your DHEA levels are low because of aging and the stress in your body. It may also be necessary to supplement your DHEA levels with the use of natural DHEA. Talk with your doctor about taking DHEA and the exact dosage you should be taking for supplementation.
Also have your doctor check your thyroid levels. Low thyroid will cause weight gain during menopause, as well as hair loss, constipation, dry skin and a sensitivity to cold. The thyroid is connected to metabolic processes. With low thyroid, your metabolism slows down and this is responsible for weight gain during menopause. Low thyroid can be supplemented with natural bio-identical thyroid and/or such medications as Levothyroxine.
The answer to high cortisol levels is simply is to decrease stress levels. How to do this? Meditation and yoga are excellent ways in which you can decrease thyroid levels. If there are problems in your life, you may find it beneficial to speak with a therapist about these problems. He or she may help you by offering solutions to the problems that are causing you high levels of stress.
Make sure that you are taking care of your emotional and physical self. By talking with a therapist, taking up meditation or yoga and eating correctly will help. Avoid white sugar, alcohol, smoking and caffeine. A low glycemic diet is best at this time in your life. Add to your diet the nutritional supplements that become depleted during periods of high stress. Taking B5 vitamin, vitamin C and licorice root will help with high cortisol hormone. Again, speak with your health care provider about the correct doses for you. Bioidentical progesterone hormone supplementation will strengthen your adrenals which suffer during periods of stress. DHEA should also be used in your bioidentical HRT program because it is the antidote to high cortisol. If you are still having sleep problems, you can also take melatonin which is known as the hormone of sleep. It is another hormone we lose as we grow older.
It is vital that you reduce your stress levels during menopause. By taking care of your inner body’s health with natural BHRT, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and controlling the amount of stress in your life, you can lower your levels of the cortisol hormone in the body.
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